Artificial pancreas technology moves forward on multiple fronts

By partnering enthusiastically with academia and industry, JDRF first seeded, then cultivated, a thriving network of experts dedicated to changing the future of blood-sugar management through automation. This collaborative strategy has led to the development of a rich variety of artificial pancreas (AP) devices and closed-loop technology. JDRF’s partners and supporters talk more about the power of partnership in this short video. And dozens of presentations at the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions this week showcased the range of AP systems on the brink of reaching people with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Richard Bergenstal, M.D. (International Diabetes Center, Minneapolis, MN), released the much-anticipated results from the pivotal trial of Medtronic’s MiniMed 670G hybrid closed-loop system. During 3 months of at-home use, participants had less hypoglycemia and better glycemic control. Eighty percent of the trial participants liked the system enough to keep using it after the trial ended.

Trang T. Ly, Ph.D. (Stanford University, Stanford, CA), reported on a closed-loop system designed for at-home, overnight use. The system automatically delivers small insulin boluses to moderate morning hyperglycemia. Compared with predictive low-glucose suspend technology, this setup provided better glycemic control with lower blood-glucose levels in the morning.

Francis Doyle, Ph.D. (Harvard University, Cambridge, MA), did a head-to-head comparison of two different algorithms, the ‘brains’ that link glucose readings with hormone delivery to close the loop in managing blood sugar. Both options were safe and effective, and Dr. Doyle suggested that more advanced versions of the algorithms will likely perform even better than the basic versions he tested.

Ahmad Haidar, Ph.D. (McGill University, Montreal, Canada), evaluated an AP system that can deliver both insulin and glucagon versus one that delivers only insulin. He showed that the two systems kept blood-sugar levels within a healthy range for similar portions of time during overnight use and had similarly low rates of hypoglycemia.

David O’Neal, M.D. (University of Melbourne, Australia), compared a closed-loop system with one that incorporates a sensor-augmented pump with low-glucose suspend technology. When used overnight by both adults and adolescents, the closed-loop system kept blood-sugar levels within a healthy range for a larger portion of time and reduced hypoglycemia.

In addition, Krishna Venugopalan, Director and Head of Research Development, Animas Corp., told JDRF that Animas plans to launch a pivotal trial of the hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia minimization device it is developing in partnership with JDRF later this year.

JDRF Chief Mission Officer and Vice President of Research Aaron Kowalski, Ph.D., sums up, “It is so exciting to see the variety of AP systems coming to life. Diabetes care is not ‘one size fits all’, and JDRF has led the way in encouraging innovation and diversity in this space so people with T1D can choose from a broad range of tools what works best for them.”

Why It Matters

The incredible progress in closed-loop technology that JDRF has fostered by funding and collaborating with academic institutions, research organizations and industry is poised to deliver an array of AP options to the T1D community.

Learn More

Learn more about JDRF’s Artificial Pancreas program and how you can help make research breakthroughs happen. And keep up with all the news from the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions by following the hashtag #2016ADA on Twitter.